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LAST UPDATE | 13 Jun 2024
ALL FIVE MEP seats have been filled in Ireland South after 19 counts at the Nemo Rangers GAA Club in Co Cork.
The following candidates have been elected:
Seán Kelly – Fine Gael
Billy Kelleher – Fianna Fáil
Michael McNamara – Independent
Cynthia Ní Murchú – Fianna Fáil
Kathleen Funchion – Sinn Féin
Independents4Change’s Mick Wallace tonight became the fifth MEP not to be re-elected to the European Parliament after he did not receive enough transfers and was eliminated.
That’s that. Complete. Funchion, McNamara and Ní Murchú elected. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/tIrUk4UQSI
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 13, 2024
As no remaining candidate had reached the quota, and Wallace was eliminated, the remaining three candidate were elected.
It was a dramatic end to the five day count in Ireland South.
The first to talk was Cynthia Ní Murchú, who finished fourth in the five seater, was the first to talk to the media on her election. The Fianna Fáil candidate will celebrate her 58th birthday tomorrow.
“I am truly honoured, I am humbled by the voters of Ireland South who put their confidence in me. I won’t let them down.
“I am really looking forward to serving the voters of Ireland South and I a going to relish this opportunity,” she said.
Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin paid tribute to the energy of the candidates.
“It is about hard work and Cynthia really energised the party and people on the ground. I was in shopping centres with her and she left no voters behind and they didn’t have a choice in the matter.
“That was the kind of commitment that mattered – we felt it, I was in Waterford towards the latter end of the campaign and I felt it coming in,” he said.
Kathleen Funchion of Sinn Féin also succeeded in her campaign and spoke of her joy at her election.
“I am delighted, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who came out and voted for us.
“I am very proud to represent Ireland South and with my colleague Lynn Boylan [in Dublin]. We are going to work well together hard for all the people of Ireland. It is really important to have strong voices at European level and very much look forward to that,” she said.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she is “full of joy” for Funchion and will be an “incredible advocate” for Ireland.
“This is a real huge achievement, for Kathleen and her running mate Paul Gavan and for the team here and for every single person who voted for her and David Cullinane as well.
“We now have two MEPs returning for Sinn Féin and that’s a great achievement and an improvement on the position. Of course we have 102 councillors elected – it is not the runaway success that perhaps some might have expected but it represents progress,” she said.
Michael McNamara an Independent and a current TD said that he was feeling tired and was looking forward to spending time with his young family before making his way to Europe.
“I am just tired, but I am emotional too. It is a tough campaign, it is a huge constituency, including Cork the biggest county and most populace.
“It is great to win, I have been on the other side of elections in the past and sometimes the lines are thin.
“I have lots of memories of travelling across the constituency – I was struck by the history. I was going to Carlow one night and my son didn’t want me to leave and I told him and he started crying.
“I played him the Planxty song Follow me up to Carlow so he told his Grandfather that his daddy is gone to Carlow. I woke up one morning on the Knockmealdown Mountains near where Liam Lynch breathed his last.
“You just realise the history, the sacrifice that was made and how fragile democracy can be sometimes – the last few decades have been unprecedented stability and peace and it can’t be taken for granted,” he said.
The last three seats were fought out by four candidates – Mick Wallace lost out. The well known politician said that it was “too early” to discuss standing for the Dáil.
He told The Journal: “I am very grateful to the people of Ireland South who gave me the opportunity. I am unsuccessful this time but I am so grateful this time to all the people who voted for me.”
When asked will he stand again he added: “That is a big question, we all need time to think about these things so this isn’t the night to be thinking of that.”
Earlier, Kelleher managed to surpass the 114,761-vote quota after Fine Gael’s John Mullins was eliminated, with over 12,000 of his votes going to the Fianna Fáil incumbent.
Kelleher was the second incumbent MEP to be returned to the European Parliament from the constituency, after Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly was re-elected after the first count on Monday.
Billy Kelleher has been reelected as an MEP in Ireland South #EP2024
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) June 13, 2024
📽️ @NiallJournal_ie pic.twitter.com/Q0RhHepLG9
On his election Kelleher, surrounded by his family and his Fianna Fáil colleagues, including Tánaiste Micheál Martin, said it was a “huge honour” to be elected.
“It is my second term representing the people of Ireland South and I am deeply humbled and honoured,” he said.
Kelleher said he was now hopeful that his running mate, Ní Murchú, will be elected later tonight.
“That would be a huge achievement for the party. It would show that Ireland is pro-European, that Europe matters and with strong voices and it will show what Fianna Fáil stands for and we want to take that to Europe.
“It is emotional, to be adjudicated by your peers, and found to be in good stead by them is a huge honour and it is a crowning achievement to be vindicated as their representative,” he added.
This evening, sitting Green Party MEP Grace O’Sullivan lost her seat on the sixth count after failing to pick up enough transfers from Kelleher to overtake Mick Wallace.
In a statement afterwards, O’Sullivan said she was proud of her work as an MEP and grateful to have represented the constituency.
“While losing my seat is disappointing on a personal level, it is just the latest chapter in a long story,” she added.
“For over 40 years I have been standing up for what I believe in, and fighting for what is right.”
Keep up to date with the latest results on The Journal’s count centre, here.
Contains reporting from Stephen McDermott.
—
This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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Here’s to Wallace hopefully losing his seat. Another big thank you to all the voters who helped to get rid of Daly and MacManus. You’re all sound!
@honey badger: Daly and Wallace will be heading back to Dail Eireann it’s better than working for a living .
@David Murray: They never worked.
@David Murray: Beavis & Butthead can retire on their Dáil Éireann pensions and EU pension. Maybe start their own podcast
@honey badger: Lovely! Hey, Mick. Get out ta f****!
@honey badger: I miss Daly and Wallace in the Daily though. They are trouble makers.
@honey badger: “you can tell our enemies, they may take our seats, but they’ll never take OUR PENSION.”
@honey badger: You the pretend Irish poster is back on commenting on our affairs.
@John Brennan: Another heartbroken illiterate ghoul lashes out… this only improves the news that Wallace has been booted out. Ha ha
@honey badger: I love when horrible people get a good dose of karma
@P. V. Aglue: At the age of 65.
As well as SF, the Greens are taking a beating from the electorate, it seems the Independents are eating their lunch!
@Brian Hunt:
Last seat is the nail biter… Could this be the end for Wallace?
@Brian Hunt: A lot of cabbage heads being consumed
@Patrick MC Dermott: cabbage heads presumably the centre left ? Its Ireland south they werent gonna have much luck. Kelleher probably by far the biggest mé féiner elected as an MEP, Doherty takes second
@Jack Dermody: Hopefully!
@Brian Hunt: SF are up 19 seats. ff are down 35. Fine gael are down 13. Green party are down 26, while S Dems are up 16. these are facts from the local selections.
@Brian Hunt: actually sf appear to have added more seats this time but the greens have been involved in a complete train crash 49 seats Last time and 2 meps this time 23 councillors and probably no mep yet rte almost silent all I’m hearing is sf sf
@Jack Dermody: hope so
@Jack Dermody: Hopefully…it will be very good news!!!
@John Reynolds: And people wonder why RTE has such a biased reputation!
@Sean oSuilleabhain: They may be the facts, but those facts do not tell the story of this election
@Jack Dermody: Since it is a 5 seater…..deeply unfortunately Wallace will probably get back in. Will be interesting to see how much his vote falls again though.
@Numinous20111: I think the odds are against Wallace at this point.
@Numinous20111: Doubt it as its Grace O’Sullivan’s votes to be distributed last – I’d say the FF candidate will get enough of those to get over the line
@Sean oSuilleabhain: I think SF are up 21 seats?
From 81 to 102.
@SYaxJ2Ts: The FF candidate will also get some of Kelleher’s surplus.
@Brendan O’Brien: Indeed. Wallace is fecked
@Sean oSuilleabhain: You have to admit they were looking forward to a huge advance on their fortunes, didn’t happen!
@Brendan O’Brien: Great breaking news. Wallace has to stay at home.
@Sean oSuilleabhain: 2019 SF ran approximately 230 candidates, this time around 335 ,anyone can manipulate and massage figures and stats tto suit their agenda.
@Brian Hunt: They have just doubled their MEPs. Not a dead loss at all.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: I stand corrected. yes.
@mark sheehan: Ikr, rte and the independent have been doing it for decades!
good riddance to wallace and daly
@R. S: Dumb and Dumber tribute act
Great news, another green seat gone.
@Dave Barrett: Which Green policies do you disagree with?
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: None of them.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: The Greens are moving us away from energy independence and are trying to destroy our food production abilities. They are not helping with cost of living by adding taxes and tariffs. The SEAI grants also did nothing but make construction materials more expensive. You would almost think they were foreign agitators… remember that pic of Ryan riding his bike in Beijing – yes, that is who he takes his orders from.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: let’s see where shall I start? The Greens are intent on destroying our food production capabilities, our energy independence (by shutting down gas exploration, gas which we will need even with offshore wind), every single one of their policies adds to the cost of living, they imposed more costs on us through the deposit return scheme and they added to the cost of construction materials by bringing in tye SEAI grants, they vilify people who are just trying to survive and heat their homes using turf and they expect us all to get €100,000 loan to buy EVs, solar panels and heat pumps that add massively to household costs. They are not living in the real world.
@MTB Mayo: have 2 evs, both bought 2nd hand. Great value out there now. Saving me a fortune in fuel. Cost of my panels is half paid off after 4 years. Haven’t gone down the heat pump road yet but I fail to see where you’re getting the €100000 figure from. I’m not going to get into climate change as I suspect either you couldn’t give a fiddlers or you think it’s a big hoax. Hopefully you’re grandchildren won’t be too badly hit by it in the future.
@Paddy Fox: what you going to do with your ev battery’s when they fail soon? Anybody buying 2nd hand evs are off there head. Another dope brainwashed by the greens..
@Paul Gorry: says Paul based on precisely zero evidence. I’d wager your forefathers fought the replacement of horse and carts with new fangled automobiles! Mr. Ed will outlive the mechanical trickery and you can grow his fuel! The ludite gene is hereditary
@MTB Mayo: We have solar panels and Our last electricity bill was €8.
They are promoting RESPONSIBLE food production. In the US where, thanks to intensive agriculture, many rivers are aquatic deserts.
I grew up with a deposit-return scheme on bottles. Worked perfectly!! Turf IS a FILTHY fuel, worse than coal. It leads to many respiratory conditions. You complain about grants AND costs??? How would YOU encourage people to insulate??? With wind energy we could be supplying most of Western Europe with energy. But, MTB Mayo, at least you have valid opinions though I disagree. You are clearly not one of these who thinks intelligent political discussion is calling Eamon Ryan ‘cabbage-head’ and rant on about ‘taxes’, they vast majority of which are NOT due to the Green Party. So, thank you!!!
Hate typing this, but prefer the Shinner to Wallace getting a seat.
@Pat Hazzard: Same. Not pleasant but necessary.
Bye bye Wallace and Daly, the gravy train left without ye
Like it or not but the two elections have been a resoundimg success overall for the three Government parties.
If the percentatges were to be reperted in a GE the current FF FG Green coalition would be very clear winners with a vote of 50% combined.
The opposistion should be wary of an early GE.
Despite all the noise, the Irish voting public would appear to be very happy indeed with the Status Quo
@Michael Dineen: I don’t believe the greens will see it as a resounding success.
@Michael Dineen: steady as she goes
Well, enjoy Wallace and Daly being given the boot, because I’m sure they’ll be back running for TD’s soon enough. Some respite in the meantime.
Did I read Peter Casey’s concession message correctly? Did he really ask members of the public to take down any still standing election posters of his if they came across them? If so, it is yet another example of what a ———– he is.
Delighted both Daly and Wallace were handed a proper reply from the people of Ireland to their shenanigans in the European parliament…. He’ll never build another wall and she’ll never get a job back in the kitchens of Aer Lingus….
Wallace and DalyGromit.
@aeX06eDn: vomit.
might take the arrogant smug smile off Ryan’s face for a bit
@William O leary: The Greens wont want a General Election any time soon.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: they won’t have a choice, best Govt for Ireland is FF and FG without Greens.
@Pat Hazzard: Yea.
If we want perpetual crises, and regular crashing of the economy.
And a 1/4 trillion national debt.
Fabulous, isn’t it.
So Worzel Gummidge and Aunt Sally have both lost their seats. Putin will be disappointed.
What a great Week, Daly gone Wallace gone two complete muppets who did absolutely nothing for this country except bring us in to disrepute with their disguised support of Russia. Why don’t the two of ye feck off to the kremlin
These Euro elections have been a huge victory for Fianna Fail an Fine Gael. Parties to the left and right have had a big slap in the face. The message is that Irish voters have rejected change. They do not want an alternative.
P45 in Wallace and Gromits pay packet this Friday.
Au revoir Wallace and Vomit!
@Desmond Lyons: lol
@Desmond Lyons: a great day for Ireland. Embarrassing that they got any votes!
We need more far right women in politics
@Old Jim: and far left men.
How great the rte/showbiz wan running for Fianna fail. the jockey going to get in in Midlands and comfortably. Did listen to her for a minute yesterday, she’s absolutely fake oblivious to the unbelievable damage ff have done to this country. Oh well
No sign of Mary Loo at the celebrations . . .
You know – big builder Wallace would have been nothing more than a capitalist fat cat only he was caught out in the downturn.
With his Italian quarter and all the bull he was headed to being the next baron of ballsbridge. Then things went south – he defaulted on his employee obligations and found socialism.
Now he is the defender of the depressed – Hypocrite.
Cynthia ni Murchu . So far up her own #0£€ and Mehole’s. First past the post please. Celebs not welcome on ballot paper. Ignorance is bliss . Europe is open in more ways then one it seems .
@Michael Andrews: if you think she’s a celebrity then you’re more out of touch with reality than it first appeared
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